Abstract:
The escalating need for environmentally benign and sustainability in chemical processes has led the compounds with main group elements as viable alternatives to sparse, expensive, and toxic transition metal catalysts. This thesis presents the synthesis and reactivity of a hypersilylsilylene and catalytic applications of organosilicon and easily accessible lithium compounds. The first chapter of the thesis describes the development of the chemistry of silylene and application of the compounds with main group elements in small molecule activation and catalysis with recent literature precedence. The second chapter describes the synthetic protocol of hypersilylsilylene and its applications for various small molecules activation, including boranes, organic azides, and chlorophosphines. In this chapter, hypersilylsilylene was shown as a new synthon to synthesize different unusual silicon compounds. In the third chapter, a neutral penta-coordinated Si(IV) compound has been utilized for the catalytic hydroboration of aldehydes and aldimines. We also discussed the practical applicability of simple and easily accessible lithium compounds for the catalytic hydroboration and cyanosilylation of aldehydes and ketones under ambient conditions; and this is depicted in the fourth chapter of the thesis. Besides, the catalytic activity was extended further for the other less activated and more important unsaturated compounds such as esters, amides, and carbodiimides. On the other hand, the fifth chapter explores the effectiveness of the same lithium compounds for the selective anti-Markovnikov hydroboration of alkenes and alkynes. The methodology was extended further to the reduction of biologically important terpenes.
Description:
This thesis represents the compounds with main group elements as viable alternatives to sparse, expensive, and toxic transition metal catalysts for organic transformations, such as hydroboration and cyanosilylation. In addition, the thesis comprised of the synthesis and reactivity of a new silylene towards various small molecules.